SS ;' -:: ; Liii STREET and NUMBER: \/ X Q ^ ' L L " ' / Upper Falls, Georges River in Warren to Union Town Lii^^> ,Ext Ending -Tjience To

$SS ;' -:: ; Liii STREET and NUMBER: \/ X Q ^ ' L L " ' / Upper Falls, Georges River in Warren to Union Town Lii^^> ,Ext Ending -Tjience To$

/H 0( Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE: (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Maine

COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Knox and Waldo INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATE (lype all entries — complete applicable sections) 70- &/tf%£MRT5v -5/5/10

COMMON: /O'-',.,... CD George's River Canal /,:: u 'i PV " ' "• •'• • AND/OR HISTORIC: General Knox Canal l-:--"^SS ;' -:: ; liii STREET AND NUMBER: \/ X Q ^ ' L L " ' / Upper Falls, Georges River in Warren to Union Town Lii^^> ,ext ending -tjience to

CITY OR TOWN: X..,' 'f') ,. '-''' Quantabacook Pond in Searsmont. Towns included -Warren, Union, Appleton, SearsmonH

STATE CODE COUNTY: CODE Maine 1 8 Kno:x 013 Waldo 02?

CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS ACCESSIBLE (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC

£f District Q Building CD Public Public Acquisition: D Occupied Yes: cS M • j 3 Restricted ^ Site Q Structure ^j Private CD In Process Pi Unoccupied l-J K=I D . , D Unrestricted CD Object 0- Botn • Rrl Being Considered •4-Vio KJ Preservation work — 1 —— I Kl e\ canal in progress ' — '

PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

mf OWNER'S NAME: Multiple public and private STREET AND NUMBER: portions of Warren, Union, Appleton and Searsmont and (D P private property CITY OR TOWN: Above towns and private people rE: CODE from diverse addresses 1teine 18 !!!lf|!!l!!!i;!!!i!!!!l^ COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: t3 D Knox County Courthouse Waldo County Court House STREET AND NUMBER: §-fi 62 Union Street 73 Church Street

CITY OR TOWN: STA1"E CODE

Rockland Belfast Maine 18 jl!!l!li|!!l!ii^ __ Illlll TITTLE OF SURVEY:

NUMBERENTRY o DATE OF SURVEY: Q Federal CD State CD County CD Local 73 DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Z TJ on C STREET AND NUMBER: m 0 2 CITY OR TOWN: STAT

DATE (Check One) D Excellent D Good Q Fair 1 1 Deteriorated IS Ruins f~l Unexposed CONDITION (Check One) (Check One)

gj Altered fig Unaltered D Moved QJj Original Site DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE In the ^wenty-ei^Lt miles of Canal route, several miles were across the ponds through"which water of the Georges River flowed. Several more miles were used in the river channel improved by removal of snags or deepening bars. A canal prisrn^ originally intended to pass through Round Pond was abandoned and the Beaver Dam at its north end remains to this day. Several stretches of jprism have been filled and graded by adjoining homeowners, and several Canal bridges washed out or fallen have been abandoned. Yet there still^ rejnains_thajtopx_Lock as rebuilt in stone, but with the gates long decayed. A culvert diverted to serve the powder mill still stands, and embankments are still conspicious at this location. The Sennebec^ Lock in Union has been modified and is still crossed by the Dirigo^Bridge7 Upstream, severalstretches of embankment and remains of locks are awaiting relocation and clearing to make them available for observation. Reconstruction of Canal structures could be expensive, and might be unjustified in consideration of other water resource uses. m rn

oo PERIOD (check One or More as Appropriate)

Q Pre-Columbian | Q 16th Century 18th Century 20th Century

n 15th Century D 17th Century 19th Century

SPECIFIC DATE(S) (II Applicable and Known) Constructed. 181i6 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or Afore as Appropriate) Aboriginal [~~| Education | | Political j| Urban Planning

[ | Architecture I| Landscape | | Scu Ipture

TATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Canals for navigation on Georges River had an important influence on the development of the valley. Without roads, the rivers served to cbhnect the seaports with the upcountry sources of local industry. Georges River was early used for access totthe rich forest in its watershed, and mills were built at its lower falls. To enable him to move lumber, Charles Barrett of Hope secured a charter from the Massachusetts General Court March 9, 1793... "to erect locks and open a navigation from upper part of Barrettstown, so called, in the County of Lincoln, with the sea, through Georges River, so-called..." with power of U eminent domain, to build bridges for the convenience of the public, and ID authorized tolls of 1 shilling 6 pence/Ton or per 1,000 board feet of timber. Under this authority Barrett built locks at Upper Falls and Hart's Falls in Warren and conducted navigation through Seven Tree Pond to Union. Major General Henry Knox retired as Secretary of War in 179U to conduct his land and business operations in Maine. He purchased the locks from Charles Barrett, and also the sawmill at Hart's Falls from Miles Cobb and William Lermond. He moved the mill to Upper Falls and rebuilt Cobb and Lermond's mill with multiple saws. He raised a grist mill and two houses nearby. LU Canal engineering had not been developed in America at that time, except foi UJ Colonel Laommi Baldwin's initial efforts on the Middlesex Canal in Massa CO chusetts. Knox's French engineer built locks of sod and wood. A freshet badly damaged all the structures, and Life Wilson was employed in 1796 for repairs using timber. The dam was raised at the Upper Locks of Warren to eliminate the lock at Hart's. With this system, boats ran through the river and Seven Tree Pond to Union. Boats were owned by General Knox and most of the cargoes were his property. At his death in 1806, the canal was abandoned, and without maintenance a few years of decay and freshets destroyed the locks. Through the prosperity consequent on the Industrial Revolution after the War of 1812, improved transportation reached such popular enthusiasm the period came to be known as "The Canal Era." The overwhelming success of the Erie I Canal after 182^, led to the building of thousands of miles of canals. In Maine Cumberland and Oxford Canal was completed in 1830 stimulating the trade-dn the Sebago area. Lumber out of Maine supplied the coast shipbuilders and supplied a world-wide market, and speculation in Maine pine lands reached a stage of frenzy. In the midst of this, Hall's survey was prepared in 1837 for a canal on Georges River. The Panic of 1837 ended all talk of construction, but the Aroostook War and subsequent settlement of the Canadian border kept the resources of Maine in public view. The canal idea was kept alive by Valley needs. Letters Eaton, Cyrus, Annals of the Town of Warren, Hallowell, (1877) p. 372 Mathews, E. A., Horse and Buggy Days in Union, Maine, pp. 20-21 Sullivan, James, History of the District of Maine (1795) p. 35 Sibley, John L., History of Union, Maine (18£1) pp. 11 2-1 1U Newspaper articles, CURRIER GAZETTE, Rockland, Maine, March 15, April 11; and 21, 1966 Starre, A. Alena, Newspaper article, Portland Sunday Telegram, Portland, Mail ie August 20, 1939

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' 3 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY _ OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES —————————I ————————————————————————— , ———————————————————————— 1 CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW GU ° 22 • 30 - 69 o 22 . 30- o o NE UU ° 22 • 30 - 69 o 07- 30- SE UU o 07 . 30 „ 69 o 07. 30. sw UU o 07 , 30 > 69 o 22, 30. APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: en |LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNJTY_ SOU N D ARI ES rn STATE: CODE COUNTY, '•' > | / ,' j">s.v CODE Maine 1 8 Knox / ^~< /;\ 013 rn STATE: CODE COUNTY: /> , , ;• '\ CODE Waldo A n x \ 027 / ' " ' < ''^ STATE: CODE COUNTY: 1 .. . ' '' '- ' >, CODE en —————— !-—— ——— i,—————— 4 ——— STATE: CODE COUNTY: V ,'» ,/ CODE '' ;. ' ' " ;- ''"> , /

d NAME AND TITLE: John W. Briggs, Historian O ORGANIZATION DATE State Park and Recreation Commission Dec. 5, 1969 STREET AND NUMBER: State House CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE Augusta Maine 18 |MI^M»^^^«i^^i^^^MKii^«

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. **^ in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended (jAMdT/)//fa {O0///AA/JJJ Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Presentation level of significance of this nomination is: National Q State Q Local n IWAR 5 1970 Date Name /£t*^/Sl

Date / c£ ^ '/ ' £ / Date ———————FfRf^r-r* 1"1 v tQ7/7^/\-«At —— Form 10-300a STATE (July 1969) Maine NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY Knox and Waldo INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NFS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet)

(Number aii enMee) Continuation ox StaTTement of Signiiicanee (D .O in the Thomaston RECORDER during the mid-lS^O's were filled with; derijands for cheap freight rates, with optimism over prospective cargoes ar(d prb;fiii§j and calls for action. Estimates of construction under $50,000 were published'in• 18U5 for locks and canals twenty-eight miles upstream from tidewater, ^id' dividends were confidently predicted. Citizens meetings in Valley towns appointed committees to secure subscriptions, to collect funds, to"build the Ca lal The ][^gi:slature pfjfeine enacted Chapter 33U, approved July 2, I8ij.6^ author- izingjjeorgesi Canal C^npany to build from tide water to Stevens Pond in Liberty capitalized at not more than $100,000 in $50 shares. Locks were to be of wood, all wood and iron work to be furnished by the Company at the sites. Earthwork excavation and embankment was estimated at 53,000 cubic yards. No rock excava tion was required. The RECORDER closed October 1, 181±6, drawing a curtain over the activities of such great concern in the Valley during construction of its Canal. The Canal was opened in the spring of I8i(7 with traffic between Quantabacook Pond above Searimont and tidewater at the Lower Falls in Warren. Georges River departed from usual canal practice is using no horses or mules on the towpath. Boats were poled by men in shallow water, and provided with sails to be used in crossing the ponds. Maintenance costs for the wooden locks and for repairing washouts by the turbulent Georges River consumed the earnings from tolls. The Cajial^jwas not a financial success, and shifting of trade and population caused a decline in its traffic. Unlike other canals, the Georges River was not replaced with suddm- ness by the railroad, which was not built from Warren Station on the Knox & Lincoln RR to Union until 1892. Freshets washed out embankments in Searsmont and Appleton, and traffic was continued only to Sehnebec Pond. With increasing leakage from washouts and decay causing more frequent interruptions to traffic, the last boat went down the Canal in 18^0. A number of court judg- menybs and attachments harassed the Company and in tne Legislature on February, 18$>6 the death knell sounded for the canal... "no more right to improve or maint lin the Canal." Through the length of the Valley, mills were built at a number of places for making lumber, window sash, sleighs, grist and lime mills, suited to the times. At Warren, woolen mills were created to supply the Union Army in the Civil War, burned and rebuilt. In September 1865 the dam at Upper Falls was rebuilt and Warren Powder Company rebuilt the Knox Lock to provide Water power and fire protection. Upper Falls Dam was rebuilt and a hydroelectric generating station was built in 1902 for the Thomaston-Itockland Electric Railroad, which terminated in Warren. The flood of 1936 destroyed the dam, and the site became privately owned. The mill power at the Outlet of Sennebec Pond served mills until incorporated into Dirigo Electri; Company hydroelectric station in 1911*. Modern stations made the plant obsolete when the Central Maine Power Company was formed from a number of local utility companies One by one all the plants on the river failed, burned or were washed out in floods. Their use of Canal structures or rout has come to an end. GEORGES RIVER CANAL

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